USAHS alumni Julie Frymyer (DPT), the Chiefs’ Assistant Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist at work
After winning the AFC Championship game that put the team in Super Bowl LVII, star Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave props to the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences alum Julie Frymyer, DPT, the Chiefs’ Assistant Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist.
Patrick Mahomes praised @Chiefs assistant trainer and PT Julie Frymeyer for designing and executing his rehab. 🙌 #NGWSD pic.twitter.com/Av7QdLGwh3
— NFL (@NFL) February 1, 2023
“Julie WAS the reason I was the guy I was on the field today! It takes everyone but she led the charge all week!” Mahomes tweeted after the Chiefs’ AFC title game win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 29, which advanced the team to the Super Bowl final.
The 2020 Super Bowl MVP suffered a high-ankle sprain in an earlier playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, leaving him unsure if he would be able to continue playing through the post-season. It was Julie Frymyer who designed and executed the critical rehabilitation on Mahomes’ ankle following that game.
The injury could have benched him for weeks, however, after just one week of PT under Julie’s close guidance and care, he was able to play against the Cincinnati Bengals … and the rest could wind up being history-making. (Tune in to Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 to see if the Kansas City Chiefs can clinch their third Super Bowl championship.)
This isn’t the first time the team has recognized Julie’s contribution to its game. In a video (see below) released by the Kansas City Chiefs in January, the team’s Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance Rick Burkholder praised Julie’s high level of education and said:
“I will say this on the record, she’s the single best clinician I’ve ever been around.”
Julie Frymyer received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from USAHS in 2012 and worked primarily in college sports before joining the Kansas City Chiefs as Assistant Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist in 2018. Prior to studying for her DPT at USAHS, she earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training and a Master of Science degree in exercise physiology. Before landing the job with the Chiefs, she spent three years as an assistant athletic trainer at Princeton University and prior to that worked as an athletic trainer at Towson University in Maryland and for Naples Community Hospital in Naples, Florida.
USAHS DPT Alumni Julie Frymyer at work with the Chiefs
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article about her titled “The Woman Who Rescued Patrick Mahomes’ Season,” Julie was as well regarded in college sports as she now is in the pro leagues.
Princeton University’s head athletic trainer, Charlie Thompson, was quoted as saying “I stopped having to work basically because everyone wanted to see Julie.”
With the Chiefs, she cemented her reputation working with former tackle Mitchell Schwartz, quickly remedying a painful back injury, as well as connecting with other players by understanding and empathizing with their issues. She earned Mahomes’ trust when she led his rehab after a toe injury a few years ago. His calling her out on social media and in interviews shows just how much her treatment of his recent ankle injury — which included ice, heat and electronic stimulation devices, as well as lateral movement work with bands, according to the Wall Street Journal article — contributed to his performance in the AFC title game and the team’s advancement to the Super Bowl.
All of us at USAHS are so proud that Dr. Julie Frymyer is getting the recognition she deserves. While no one goes into the field of PT to become famous or get called out in the media, it is gratifying to see one of our own being recognized for her success and her extraordinary achievements.
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One of the largest PT schools in the United States,* the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) offers Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degrees on each of its five campuses. Join a collaborative cohort of peers who learn under the mentorship of expert faculty-practitioners. Practice with mock and real patients in our state-of-the-art simulation centers and learn anatomy with our high-tech tools. Prepare for clinical practice with a wide range of patients, as well as for advanced roles in research, practice leadership and policymaking. Residential (blended didactic courses + in-person labs on weekdays) and Flex (online courses + in-person labs on weekends) formats are available.
*Based on total DPT degrees conferred, as reported by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data is captured by IPEDS through interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/